United Pilot Forces Mid-Air U-Turn after Forgetting Passport, Delaying 257 Passengers

By
Loh Huey Xin
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Never heard of a plane U-turning mid-air?

Well, now you have.

A United Airlines Boeing 787 jetliner heading to Shanghai from Los Angeles had to make an unexpected U-turn mid-flight.

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The reason? One of its pilots realized they had forgotten their passport.

Here’s what happened.

Passport Issue Forces Mid-Pacific Ocean Turnaround

Flight UA 198 departed Los Angeles International Airport on 22 March 2025 at around 2:00 PM with 257 passengers and 13 crew members on board.

Approximately two hours into the journey over the Pacific Ocean, the aircraft suddenly changed course and diverted to San Francisco International Airport, landing at around 5:00 PM, according to the website FlightAware.

The reason for the diversion quickly became apparent to those on board.

Image: Yang Shuhan

Chinese passenger Yang Shuhan told CNN she heard the pilot’s “very frustrated voice” over the intercom, admitting he “forgot (his) passport.”

United Airlines later confirmed the situation in a statement: “The pilot did not have their passport onboard. We arranged for a new crew to take our customers to their destination that evening. Customers were provided with meal vouchers and compensation.”

After landing in San Francisco, passengers received meal vouchers and were told they could file compensation claims. The airline provided customers with vouchers worth USD30 (~ SGD40).

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The replacement flight with a new crew finally departed at around 9:00 PM, eventually reaching Shanghai about six hours behind schedule at 12:43 AM on Monday (24 March).

Passenger Frustration and Wider Impact of the Passport Mishap

The incident created a chain reaction of disruptions that extended beyond the initial flight.

The return journey, Flight UA 199 from Shanghai to Los Angeles, was also delayed by approximately six hours due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft.

A Shanghai-based business traveler who requested anonymity told CNN the delay forced them to change their connecting flight and reschedule all plans for Monday.

“I’m feeling pretty frustrated,” the passenger said after landing at LAX late Sunday night.

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While Yang Shuhan appreciated the pilot’s honesty, many fellow passengers expressed anger on RedNote.

One popular post that garnered more than 10,000 likes questioned: “How could someone mess up this badly at work?”

Shukor Yusof, founder of Singapore-based aviation advisory firm Endau Analytics, called the incident “quite embarrassing” for United Airlines.

He described the oversight as “unacceptable” for a global carrier that flies 140 million people to more than 300 destinations yearly.

The incident occurs amid other recent controversies involving United Airlines.

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An Orthodox Jewish passenger recently filed a lawsuit alleging a United pilot forcibly removed him from a lavatory during a flight from Tulum, Mexico, to Houston.

Additionally, a New Jersey mother criticized the airline for asking her to remove her son’s breathing tube before takeoff, sharing her experience in a TikTok video that has received more than 1.3 million views.

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Loh Huey Xin